Apparatus for charging furnaces.



No. 805,737. PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905. E. w. LINDQUIST.

[APPARATUS FOR CHARGING FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED MAB-.16. 1903.

4 SHEBT8-SH1IET 1,

INVEETOR WETNESSES E. W. LINDQUIST. APPARATUS FOR CHARGING FURNACES furuoulon rninn MABJG. 190a.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

PATBNTED NOV. 28, 1905. E. W. LINDQUIST.

APPLIUATION FILED Mule, 1903.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING FURNACES.

No. 805,737. I

E. w. LINDQUIST.

PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED MABJB, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEBT'4.

lUNiTED srn'rns PATENT OFFICE.

EDEVARD W. LINDQUIST, OF ()HiCAiliO, ILLINOIS, ASSlGNOR TO RALPH 'SAGGALEY, OF PXTTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

AFFARATUES FiIrFi ('JHARGING FURNACES.

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Application and March 16, 1903; Serial No. 147,974.

section. g. 3 is a plan View of a modified construction. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of end. Figis a plan view, on a smaller melanin-modified construction of spent for the conveyor.

In order :to secure the best results in the operation of copper-smelting furnaces, it is necessary that the charge should be supplied.

to the furnace at a proper rate and evenly mined orevenly stratified. Too rapid chargis apt to chill the furnace and cause it to work irregularly, end if large amounts are ded itt the shock of the falling mais severe and is apt to cause injuQi-y to structureend pack the change in j lldsny attempts have been made jovide such furnaces with cl arging-mause; not, so far as 1 am aware, these ma nes hsve not given satisfactory'results, and the method ordinsriiy employed has contin ued to be the slow and .expensive operation of feeding the charge by hand, a shovelful at a. time, Such vi-"rs is laborious and very expensive, and as it depends upomthe intelligence or the workmen it is often imperfect and prcducesirregular working of the fur- 'nace. My invention overcomes these defects sud provides a charging-machine which is simple its construction and will operate reliably endwith certainty, so that a more efficient distribution oi the charge is secured end the cost of labor is very materialiy reduo-ed.

The invention is of especial importance when used with furnaces which smelt rapidly and re s large supply of ore and flux.

l l 1 and 2 show the apparatus arranged in connection with a series of bins 2 2, having gates 2, from which the components of thcreh-argeare delivered upon conveyors 3'5, composed, preferably, of endless belts passing around pulleys 4. These bins contam the several components of the furnace charge. ()ne bin may contain copper ore, an-

other silica, another iron ore, and another coke,

and in front of each is a hopper 5, which is supported upon the beams 6 of weighing-scales, so that a measured quantity of material may be received in the hopper and thence discharged upon the conveyer 3, which runs beneath the spout of the hopper. Each hopper for this purpose is fitted with a gate 7.

In practice the person in charge of the furnace knowing the proportions of ore, flux, and coke which are desired sets the scale of each hopper so that it will balance at the weight proper for the particular material contained in the bin, and the workman having delivered such weight into the hoppers opens the gates 7 and causes the material to discharge upon the conveyer.- These conveyors 3 3 discharge into a hopper 8, the orifice of which is preferably provided with a feeding device 9, whichmay be a corrugated roller, a fcedingdisk, or other suitable appiiance and which being driven at the desired speed delivers the material upon a conveyor 10, like wise, preferably, an endless belt passing over rollers and leading to a spout 11 over the apron 12 of the furnace 13. The conveyor and the pulleys 14:, over which it passes, are mounted on afrsme 15, which is pivoted, preferably near its rear end, on a pivot 16, so that its front end, which is preferably supported by wheels 17 on a curved track 18, is oscillatory along the charging hopper or apron 12.

In Fig. 3 I show suitable means for effecting the oscillation or back-and-forth Ymovement of the frame. It consists of a crank 19, connected with the frame by a pitman 20 and rotated by a worm-wheel 21, driven by a worm 22, the operation of which causes the front end of the conveyor to travel back and forth slowly along the line of the feed hopper or apron. Other means may be employed for effecting the lateral motion of the conveyor, and, if desired, it may be a bodily motion instead of an oscillatory motion.

The operation of the device is as'follows: The material to be fed to the furnace is delivered upon the conveyors 3 from the weighinghoppers in determined amounts and is discharged into the hopper 8, from which the feedroll 9 delivers it at the desired rate upon the conveyer 10. The motion'of this conveyer carries the charge toward the furnace and discharges it onto the apron 12, .whence it passes into the furnace, and as the conveyer travels back and forth at a regular speed it distributes thecharge evenly from end to end of the furnace-shaft in a manner calculated to produce the most satisfactory results in the smelting operation. The whole device can be operated by one man, who by regulating the passage of the charge upon the conveyer lO-can'control perfectly the rate at which the furnace is charged. The conveyer 10' -is preferably inclined upwardly. so that the hoppers 5 may be near the level of the charging-platform, and, if desired, its inclination may be increased, so that it will be, in effect, an elevator and may be fitted with the usual buckets. By placing at the delivery end of the conveyer a distributing-hopper which moves back and forth along the furnace-apron the conveyer itself may be supported on a stationary frame, as shown in Fig. 5.

In Figs. 3 and 4'1 show a modification of my invention, in which instead of dischargingthe material into the hopper 8 by the crossconveyers 3 3 it is delivered thereinto from a weighing-hopper 23, which is supported by scale-beams 24 and receives its charge from wheelbarrows or in any other suitable way, the weighing-hopper being controlled by a gate 25, operated by a lever 26.

Within the scope of my invention as defined in the claims the apparatus may be modified in various ways, since What I claim is' 1. Furnace-charging apparatus comprising in combination with a furnace having a char-g; ing-opening, a traveling conveyer discharging into said opening, and means for moving said conveyer along the opening to distribute the charge; substantially as described. I 2. F urnace-charging apparatus comprising in combination with a furaace having a charging-opening, a traveling conveyer discharginginto said opening, said conveyer being pivoted, and means for oscillating it on its pivot to distribute the charge; substantially as described.

3. Furnace-charging apparatus comprising a feeding device discharging into the opening of a furnace, means for moving said device along the opening to distribute the charge, and means for delivering the charge at a regu- 4; Furnace-charging apparatus comprising a feeding device discharging into the opening of a furnace, means for moving saiddevice along the opening to distribute the charge, and a feed-roller adapted to deliver the charge to' the feeding device; substantially as described. p

5. Furnace-charging apparatus comprising a traveling conveyer discharging into the feed opening of the furnace, means for moving said conveyer along the opening to distribute the charge, and a supplementary conveyer ar-- 6. Furnace-charging apparatus comprising a traveling conveyer, means for delivering the charge thereto at a regulated rate, andmeans for moving the delivery end of the conveyer along the furnace; substantially as described.

7 Furnace-charging apparatus comprising in combination with a furnace weighing-hoppers supported by scales, means for delivering into the'several hoppers the materials which constitute the components of the charge,

and a continuously operating, distributingweighing-hoppers supported by scales, means for delivering into the several hoppers the materials which constitute the components of the charge, a common hopper into which the material from the weighing-hoppers is delivered, and a feeding device leading therefrom to the furnace; substantially as described.

9. The combination with a furnace having a chargingopening, of a suitable'charger' adapted to travel to and fro along said opening. said charger comprising a traveling carriage and an independently-actuated conveyer, and means for permitting the discharge of the material from the conveyor into the furnace for any position of the carriage; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

EDWARD W. LINDQUIST. Vi'itnesses:

GEO. BQBLEMING, H. M. GORWIN. 

